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Carpenter Dumitru Ciraei was among those who walked off the job at King’s Cross Tube station |
Tube workers strike as banks reject cheques
King’s Cross ticket hall project at a standstill over unpaid wages
UNPAID workers contracted to build a high-profile Tube station project downed tools on Thursday after their controversial PFI employer’s wage cheques were rejected by their banks.
Forty craftsmen and labourers walked out from the site of the new King’s Cross Tube ticket hall when discussions with engineering firm Hennelly’s over three weeks’ unpaid wages broke down.
On the unofficial picket line in Pancras Road, workers said they had been unable to cash two successive pay-cheques from the firm, and vowed to continue their action until the company paid them cash to take home before the bank holiday weekend.
Chippie labourer Peter Durkan, 25, said the concrete and steelwork phase of the ticket hall’s construction would be stalled until workers saw their money.
He said: “We have been reasonable since the beginning of this dispute, but people have mortgages to pay and rent to pay, and we haven’t been paid in a month.
“Twice, the cheques they have given us have bounced – we are charged by our banks each time. Now we’ve been told that another cheque is coming today, and that is not acceptable.”
Other members of the picket feared that Hennelly’s, a sub-contractor of troubled PFI Tube maintenance company Metronet, was delaying payments until the completion of the year-long project, due in two weeks.
Carpenter Dumitru Ciraei, 49, said: “I have family – six kids, a mortgage, debt to the bank.
“I have no other source of existence. They owe me nearly £3,000. This is a lot of money for me.
“We want our money, nothing more.”
Six further men, employed through an agency, said they were laid off after the picket formed.
Concrete finisher Balver Singh said: “The foreman came and said ‘today is the last day – don’t come back on Tuesday’.”
Carpenter Lorenc Hasanae, 23, had bones to pick with the government. As many of the employees are foreign nationals, there have been stringent passport checks. He said: “I am eastern European, I have lived here for six years.
“I have a mortgage and rent a house. A few days ago the government came to check passports. They can check us, but first they should check the company who hasn’t paid us. Why do they need my passport when I haven’t got my money?”
A spokeswoman for Hennelly’s said: “Due to the fact that the cheques were not signed by two people they were not valid.” The spokeswoman refused to give her name or position. Workers yesterday returned to work after Hennelly’s paid the majority of the outstanding wages.
Mr Durkan said: “The job is back on but this is not fully resolved.” |
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